New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-18
NEARLY KILLED BY A WHALE
HARPooNER KNOCKED OUT OF HIS BOAT.
THE WHALE MoRTALLY WOUNDED, ESCAPES FROM
THE AMAGAysETr FIsHEMES-HOPEs THAT THE
INJURED MAN MAY RECOVER.
pu tn THE rRIpUyE.1

| THE WHALE, MoRTALLY WOUNDED, ESCAPES FROM
THE AMAGANsETT rIsHEMEN-HoPEs THAT THE
| INJURED MAN MAY RECOVER
TBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIpUSE
BRIDGrHAMPTON. April ia pine brush display
| ed from the top OF Captain Leaks tall fagpole In
font OF his house in the village of Amagansctt,
l.. L. at l o'clock Saturday afternoon sent
thrill through the entire illage, and there fo!-
lowed noise OF hurrying feet and shouts of tie
| hardy lOr lads who rushed 10 man the whaling
boats on the beach. Captain Leak has raj ed
the weft went up tie cry" and all Amagansett
knew that whae had been sighted off the shore.
In less time than IL takes to tell il Captain Josh
| Edwards. the yetc an whalcr Of the village, who
has already this season added the fulses of three
right whales to the trophies OF other seasons
which lie in his back yard, had his boat launched
| IN thc suif and SIX strong pair OF arms were
| prlling out on the water in search Of the whale
| The Excitement in a short time hal pcrlneatcd
TIC whole village, and the seafaring population,
male and female, Hooked To the shore and watched
for the coming b tile with the whale. Two other
boats were manned and prepared TO follow Capt j
Edwards. In tie lattel's boat were, beside tile
| vdc an commander, LIS brother "Gabr," who, as
always the whale hunts, acted as boat
steerer Chnlc Stafford, Chml Mulfod, Everett
Edwards and Clinton Edwar,s.
There she blows went up shout fir IN the
scpcct ators tie shore, and sure enough, about
quarter Of MI, off, on shall ow bar, a geyser OF
spay was thrown high up o.er tic waves. The
men IN Captain .Joshs boat saw the whale spout
| ing end pulled straight for the spot. "Gabc'
| tsOd up IN tie bow of the boat with two lar-
repns in his hand. He is a tail, bawDy specimen
| or Long Island nhood, and had iis,n from
sick bed to Join in the chas ater the whale.
I'm not fe linz well, sad he, but / will
! put two / ons in her anyhow
Hardly lad he 81 Oxen before directly ahead he
saw q black patch on the water about three feet
square.
ste dy, steady he cried to Ca tin JOSH
| The Whale IL On the false bar and VIII be
| aground here III q -"
IL was too late The powerful strokes Of tic
oarsmen had driven the b1at hard on the black
shoulder OF the whale, which was showing above
| the green va or. lie whale did rot stir as tile
sharp keel OF tie boat grated over his hide. 1t
was bold thin; to do. but Gabc did not hesitate
and tie next instant he plunged the iron harpjo or
into the soft blubber of the monster full twenty
four inches. Still the whale did not stir and sus-
peion arose that il was dead. Once more the power
/ full Gabe' drove his harpoon into the yielding
mass and the effect this time was like touching OIL
| a magezine with lighted match. The great black
| fukes of the whale suddenly lifted them
selves out of the water and raised
the boat fully ten feet III the air. IL was maddened
| paroxy SIN of anguish. A whir OF the great black
lukcs in the air, ~ they descended smashed three
oars rowlock. and swept "Gabe" from the bow
OF tho boat as II he had been made of paper. The
unfortunate boat-stecfer was thrown straight
through the air, say the eyewitness in the boat
| fully thirty feet and dropped Insensible III
! tie water Hc lay like log on the
| waves aud his companions the boat
made desperate efforts to 90 to his
assistance before he sank IL no easy task. for
| the wounded leyiathan was kicking. plunging,
! ihrcshlng around with his tail and churnng mp the
| sea water in n manner that made immediate prox-
! unity TO him ans thing but safe. "Captan' Josh
yelled " All as,cran at the top of his voice but
with only three oars left in working order uIanag-
ing the boat was ersicr said than done. II they had
dcpendcd on the three oars tho boats crow would
have been left mt the mercy of the n:uriated whale
which had evidently received mortal wonnd for he
spouted blood IN profusion. But his death strug-
gcs gradually drew bm away from the boat
and the rope that bound him to his enemies was
onckly severed bv q blow from hatchet.
! Once safe from the terrible sweep OF the iiukes,
the oarsncu went 20 the help of their steerer.
! who still iioatcd insensbc on the bloody waves.
! Why he did not sink and drown was mystery
| That has not yet been explained. Captain Josh
pulled his brother into the bOlt and they proceeded
to pump the water ont OF nm aite5 the lashioh
taught bv the fe- saving men. IL did no good. and
! not knowing whether they had 1--we or dead man
they pulled back TO the shore. Tine other boats which
had been manned and started OF to follow Captain
Josh returned also with the feelings of men attend
ing funeral. The observers on the shore saw the
whale disappear the distance. As far rs lie could
he seen he was sim madly lashng the waves VITA
his tail and kicking up M the air III the throes OF
death with the two harpoons sticking into hIs
shoulders Among the crowd on the shore to watch
the return of the boats was Mrs Gabe Edwards
When she saw her husband lifted out OF the boat
and land on the beach still unconscious:
I.t.. tl.rA nd
| 10 the dismal ending of the whale hunt
! which had begun amid the hopeful shouts OF the
hardy population of Amagansett. . -
While The women attended the tainting Mrs Ed
wards the men made another effort to pump the
sea- water out of her husband. Several quarts we're
! forced ont by continuous action of hls arms but
Gabe still remained unconscious. Hls body was
then lifted into a wagon and taken to his nome,
followed by all the villagers messengers were
sent hurrying for medical help and Dr. Halsey ar
! rived, and after sounding the injured mans lungs
pronounced hun stiI alive Morphine was ADMINS
tered and watch kept On the patont all night lie
remained in n comdtosc state until = IL m. to-day
He then turned over, opened his eyes, started at
the watcher az the bedside for moment and asked
where's the whale !" He was assured that the
whale was all right, aud seeming satisfied with the
statement rcapsed into stupor All OF to-day no
has been stupid and his talk more or less lncoher
ent but Dr.. lIalsey thinks he VIII recover. tie Is
about thrty-eight years old.
Tomorro several boats will go ont TO make
search for the whale, for 1t Is believed that IL is
dead. If his body has not sunk IL Will be towed
! ashore aud converted into oil and whaebone This
is the fourth whale of tho to appear OIL ANA
gansett and the only one which has not been cap
tured. The Osborne boys John and Oliver, OF
BrdgehamptOn harpo0ued nifty foot whale %
week ago and killed him after exciting race, in
which the whale towed the boys eight miles NJ u
terrible speed. As the whales each net about
800 in OIL and from $1,000 to $l,3OO ior the
whaleb0ne they are prizes not to DO allowed 70 eS-
| cape. The mis6ap on Saturday has plunged the
whole village of Amaeansett INTO gloom.